Paradise
by Frozen Jackal
Summary: In a valley between a mountain and an ancient city is a quiet settlement called Ome Town. In this town lives carpenter and her teacher. In the ancient city resides a stranger from a world once forgotten. In the mountains is a raider with his army of followers.
1. Artisan

**Artisan**

Ome Town was a large settlement nestled in a valley between the mountainside and an ancient city. It had roughly paved roads, and houses mashed together from bits of rubble from the neighboring ancient town. Bibarel and Floatzel guards roamed its perimeter, offering just enough security to keep out any big operations. Every morning before the Starlys began chirping, the few morning workers would arise to their duties, followed by the regular citizens and travelers.

A young zangoose, one of the early workers, could be seen in the crowd. She passed her time by working for the town carpenter and spent her nights with personal art projects.

It was a cool spring morning when a special request had come in.

She walked down the Golem-rolled road that linked the other dwelling, making her way to her workplace with a single strap pack that was swung over her shoulder and enjoying the quiet atmosphere of the still awakening town. The workshop was at the end of the road, embedded within the makeshift wooden wall that protected the town from both the elements and invaders. The building itself was made of uncut logs and a roof of natural foliage, the master carpenter being as nostalgic as he was skilled at his craft. Beside the workshop was a closed-off yard of lumber provided by the Machokes and Golems that provide most of the heavy lifting for the town.

Upon reaching the old wooden door to her workplace, she carefully rested two of her claws into the perfectly carved recesses hat fitted them. There was a satisfying click, and the door opened up to allow the smell of wood dust to fill her nose .

The inside of the workshop was dimly lit by the morning sun, the leaves from the four trees that supported the walls allowing only the necessary amount of light into the room. Just one of her teacher's clever designs.

In the corner of the room was her sleeping teacher. The tall Sceptile was quite old, as shown by his faded green scales and slightly wilted tail. Despite his overall appearance, his claws were always sharp and ready for his work.

She quietly removed her bag from her shoulder and rested it against her work station by the door. Shuffling past several other in-progress projects from the previous night that were organized against the wall, the zangoose reached the desk the Sceptile had his head rested upon and gave it a gentle tap.

"Morning, Jalce."

In an instant, the sceptile's snores stopped with a rough snort, and his head lifted up to see the zangoose coily smirking his way. Still adjusting his eyes to the light, Jalce rose from his seat and began walking towards the sliding doors that lead to the small lumber yard.

"You're late…" He murmured, taking a glance at the sunlight penetrating the roof.

"You're too early." She replied, already shoving back the wooden door frames, tables, and fence projects against the wall like she had them last time. "You need to stop working after I leave, I'm going to feel bad everytime I see you finishing up these things without me."

"As if," Jalce scoffed, "I may be old but I still need a bit of practice every now and again. You finish more projects than I do per day, so don't give me that guilt trip, Shersa." The Sceptile pushed the doors into their respective alcoves in the walls, opening up the room and breathing in the morning air that came with it all.

Shersa chuckled. "I really only worry that you're doing too much. Sooner or later I'm going to come here with no master at all because you'll have worked yourself to death."

Jalce glanced over his shoulder, revealing to Shersa his tired and stern face in the light. He curled his large leafy tail to his side and crossed his arms. "If I die doing what I love, then it's nothing for you to worry about."

Shersa sighed. "Could we not talk about death this early in the morning?"

"You brought it up… and it isn't early!" Jalce turned and gestured towards the uncut logs in his materials pile. "Time for some warming up, bring me a set of cut timber. If you're cuts are fine and well measured I might allow you extra helpings for breakfast."

"Yes, sir!"

The zangoose went out the wide doorways and got to work. As she began choosing her materials, Jalce went to retrieve the mail that rested in his designated slot beside the door. The mail was delivered by staravias at dawn, and for the shop work orders it came by a special slot that carried the mail from a red marked trunk at the top of the building. Placing the bundle of requests on a dusty table, Jalce went to the cupboard to start on the meals.

In the workyard, she had measured out all her pieces and was already starting to cut them. Just beyond the fencing that bordered the yard, townsfolk were starting to increase in numbers on the streets. Machops, bidoofs, sentrets, and mareeps could be seen making their way to their own jobs. A chansey, kangaskhan, and miltank were heading to the local school, and not long afterward several child monsters were on the same route. It wasn't long before the towns center was filled with several different species out to either shop, eat, or just wander.

Once Shersa had done her morning chore, she placed the last freshly cut material against the back doorway and walked in to be greeted by a meal on the center table. She moved aside some tools and other small items and seated herself before digging into the Cheri Berry bread.

Jalce walked into the room with opened request orders.

"A lot of requests for that flower door decoration you made last week. It's getting more popular than the very doors that they are now resting on." Jalce stated, sitting on the opposite side of the table while flipping through the papers.

"Jealous?" Shersa asked between bites.

"No…" Jalce looked above the papers and now at Shersa's eyes. "Just proud." He went back to counting the different orders.

Shersa smirked. "Careful, Jalce. I might let that go to my head a bit."

"You still need to work on that hastiness of yours, Shersa. Measure twice, cut once."

"I- I really do not need to keep hearing that everyday."

"Well… hopefully if I say it twice, I only need to order wood once." He replied nonchalantly.

Shersa returned to her breakfast, unable to counter a very truthful statement on her tendency to rush work when she got too excited. Her rush would often result in several redos and a rise in the material cost over her five years under Jalce's mentoring. Despite this, Jalce kept to his teachings and was determined to make her successful in the craft.

"Hmm… how interesting." Jalce muttered, his brow furrowed upon the sight of the last letter in his hands. Shersa glanced across the table to see a very strange parchment in between his claws. When the usual requests came in they would be written on the typical heavy, brown paper that was provided by the local shop. This one was pure white and seemed very thin as it waved in the breeze from outside. The writing, as could be seen from Shersa's perspective, was also crude and large.

"What is that?" Shersa questioned. "It looks like it came from outside the town."

Jalce did not answered until he had read and reread the order twice over. Once he seemed satisfied with what he had seen, the Sceptile folded the paper back into the envelope it came in.

"While requests from outside town have never been too uncommon for me, this one is almost… too foreign for my liking." Jalce said.

"No offense master, but that sounds awfully prejudice."

"No no no. You see… well just read it for yourself."

He flicked the thin package towards her. Shersa opened it up and unfolded the letter. At first it seemed like a starly had inked its feet and danced across the piece of paper. But as she studied it, she soon saw there was in fact a very roughly written message in the scribbles.

 **TO the woodworker in OME**

 **I am a neighbour in the ruins close to you.**

 **I would like a piece of SUPPORT for my DISABILITY in walking**

 **I can pay when sent**

 **FROM a friend in the ruins**

"Wow," She muttered upon finishing.

"Now you see my point." Jalce took in a deep breath before looking around the shop and exhaling heavily. "I would imagine he requires a walking stick. Why on earth he's asking for one from me is… odd to say the least."

"Why is that?," Shersa asked before looking at the letter again.

"Shersa, find a suitable branch in the woods and you have your walking stick. Having someone design your… cane when you won't even give the needed measurements is just idiotic." Jalce got up and went over to a barrel of long wooden rods. He shuffled them around, looking at each individually before pulling out one that was equal height to him.

"Plus, the sender of that letter claims to live in the ruins. I can only imagine what kind of meaning they have for 'pay' if we're answering a trade deal for a hermit." Jalce placed the rod along the edge of the table. "Unless… " The sceptile glanced back at Shersa, who was still inspecting the letter. "Notice anything in particular about it yet?"

Shersa had been studying the lines in between the words to find that the random scribbles were in fact failed attempts at structuring the message itself. Different words like "market, center, heart, and home" were all crossed out or written over.

"Well, I can tell this is not by someone who has written before… or even seen a letter. It is almost as though someone guided them on it."

Jalce nodded. "Yes. The other night I was out in a meeting with some of the Machokes-"

"You mean drinking with the guys?," Shersa interjected with a coy smile.

Jalce went silent, then continued. "Anyway, in that _meeting_ Furl mentioned that some of the younglings had been talking about a monster in the ruins. They claimed it had been flying between the tall structures and that it had tentacles on its head, with spikes for paws."

"If that is your mystery customer, it would explain the handwriting."

Jalce chuckled. "Of course, you have to take into account a young child's imagination. Nonetheless, it would seem like this stranger needs our help, and that someone in town is giving them some info."

Shersa tilted her head in confusion. "What makes you say that?"

"I think it would be the talk of the town if someone like what those children describe paid us a visit to simply deposit some mail. Someone from here more than likely met this stranger in the ruins and told them about who could help them out with their walking problem."

"Would it not have been easier to just come to us directly? Or maybe even get someone with some healing knowledge to help?"

"Maybe they have already. Whatever the case, we will accept his request." Jalce took the wooden rod and carried it to his desk and got to work on it.

"Hey, I always thought the ruins were taboo?" Shersa asked, putting aside the letter and getting to work on some of the other requests.

"Hmm? No. The ruins are just unpleasant, barren, and a reminder of an old dark time." Jalce replied. The sceptile had coated the rod in a green oily solution and began bending and stretching the ends.

Shersa cut apart the block of wood into the base of the door decoration she always made. She had done it so many times, it was easy to neglect measurements and carve it out by memory. "Sounds like a wonderful place for a trustworthy individual to hang out." She said sarcastically.

"I'm sure the client has his reasons, and if you're that worried then why not head to the Star Delivery post and ask who sent the letter?"

"I guess… But why are the ruins so barren in the first place? You would think the Golems and the Rhyhorns would love to reside in those huge stone buildings."

Jalce almost jumped hard enough to lose his grip on the staff at her words. "Shersa… you did not pay a lot of attention in history, did you?"

She stopped her actions and gave Jalce a blank stare, and while doing so overcut one of the 'petals' of the wooden flower. "Um, I may have slept through that subject." She admitted as her paw tried to cover her mistake.

Jalce shook his head in disapproval before shaping the walk support again. "I find it incredible someone so intuitive can forget basic history."

"Honestly, much less 'forget' and more… it bores me to death." Shersa laughed.

"Well, without breaking out my books, those ruins are the remnants of a war that ended before my own time."

"Wow, something older than Jalce, go figure."

"Don't push it."

"If it was so long ago, how come it is still… unpleasant?"

"Would you ever play in an old graveyard?"

"I suppose not, but still."

"Shersa, there is a saying that 'history is written by the victors'. In this case, the victors were not too proud of their history. That decaying city is what is left of a time we wanted forgotten."

"Then why did we make a town so close to it? So we won't forget what we should be forgetting?"

"In a sense."

Jalce placed the finished walking stick in between two holders that kept it in place to dry. The once straight rod was now a elegantly curved walking support with a large bulbous top and glossy finish. The sceptile then reached for some of the branches above and adjusted them accordingly to allow direct sunlight on the staff.

"Finished. Go and ask the birds at the post office who sent the letter so we can get a better idea on how to deliver this without looking like fools. By the time you get back this should be ready for delivery."

Shersa nodded and shoved her current project into her bag before heading towards the door. As she was walking out she heard Jalce calling out.

"And don't assume I missed your overcut earlier, I'm giving you extra lessons when this delivery is done."


	2. Raiders

**Raiders**

Shersa felt watched.

It was a lingering feeling that she would sometimes get whenever she left the workshop, and it wasn't a problem until today. She never felt unsafe in Ome Town and even now she only brushed off the feeling. There was already too much on her mind to begin with.

Shersa rounded the next corner onto the main street that was busy with other monsters. On either side of the road there were several wooden houses and shops of varying sizes and color. Each building's appearances varied based on the materials the shops sold or the services offered. At the end of the road was the most notable building. Towering as high as an onix and dotted with several openings for winged monsters, stood the Star Delivery office.

Weaving through the traffic of a midday market rush, Shersa approached the office with the letter clutched in between her claws. She brushed aside the cloth that seperated the calm interior from the outside bustle. Inside, the building was completely open and quiet. Birds soared to and from the wooden posts at every level. In the center of the tower was circular wooden shelving that spiraled to the top. Large amounts of the shelves were sectioned off into different paint colors and patterns that Shersa could only assume represented the different locations that letters ended up.

At ground level there was a small desk with a crooked tree limb jutting out from the ground. She approached the table, overcome with curiosity, before looking back up the tower and gazing at the staraptors and staravias that flitted about.

A large shadow went over her, and her attention was immediately drawn to back to the large tree limb to see a fully grown staraptor staring her down.

"May I help you?" His words seemed kind but his low tone of voice made took any warmth from them.

Shersa held up the work order. "Um, yes. I am trying to find the sender of this letter."

The staraptor turned his head to the side and with one eye inspected the letter. "Carpentry work order request, received last night and sent this morning. If you were sent this in error, it would be within our service to correct it."

Shersa shook her head vigorously. "N-no! You see, the order is not a problem, but we have no idea how to deliver it. So we need to know who sent it."

The large bird nodded and relaxed back on his tree limb perch. "Ah. My mistake. I was here when that order was sent, but not when it was received… however…," the delivery master eyes trailed upward towards the entrance. "He was very keen on ensuring it had been sent."

Shersa followed his gaze in confusion, before turning all the way around and catching a glimpse of a thin brown tail slipping through the cloth entrance and disappearing. Still confused, she turned to the bird again and pointed one claw to the doorway in question.

The staraptor simply nodded.

"Thank you!" She said, now heading out.

"Anytime, ma'am."

Outside, Shersa looked over the heads of all the monsters on the road trying to locate the mysterious tail she saw earlier.

"Hey, I have your letter, just need to ask something!" She cried out into the crowd. A few turned their heads but kept going about their business. Then, in the distance, a head poked out above the masses looking her way. It was fat, round, and had two yellow pointy ears that twitched in her direction. The monster ducked back into the crowd, but not before waving its tail in a gesturing manner towards her.

"What in the world?" She muttered before once again weaving through the traffic.

Shersa reached the empty stall but didn't see the creature anywhere. Looking around she noticed the tip of the stranger's tail just barely peeking out from the edge of the empty trader stall.

"Um… hello?"

In response, the monster slowly shifted itself until just its eyes peered over the wooden counter. "You have it?"

"What?" Shersa asked, still not sure who she was talking to.

Immediately, the monster jumped from the behind the counter and onto its surface, its fat belly leaking over the edge and its cheeks bulging with annoyance.

"Is your head filled with wood too? The thing! The… walking thing." It spat out.

Shersa recognized it to be a raichu that appeared to be around her own age. It was hard to take it seriously, since his long feet could barely touch the ground with his belly keeping him up like it was.

"I take it you sent this letter then?" She tried to ignore the question and hide her amusement at the picture before her.

The raichu took a heavy sigh before slumping back to the ground in disappointment. His ears dropped backwards like he had lost all excitement from before.

"I guess you don't have the thing. I knew they would want payment up front but he insisted on this idea instead." He rambled on until Shersa pointed to the letter for him to see.

"Oh, yeah I stuffed that into one of the boxes last night so it could reach you guys without… well… having to talk to Mordecai."

"The Postmaster?"

"Big bird," he pointed to the post office then at himself "fat rodent. You figure it out."

Shersa could not fault his logic on that one, though she was sure a post worker would never consider eating citizens while on the job.

"Well,that's kind of prejudice." She remarked."But I do need to know how I'm supposed to deliver this request. I cannot just walk into the ruins unknowingly." She stated.

The raichu eyes went wide and he jumped up on top of the counter with a look of pride.

"Well that's where I come in, I'll take you to him as soon as you get the thing."

Shersa crossed her arms and gave him a sly look. "So why not just come to the workshop directly?"

"Had to make sure you were up to the task, size you up, that sort of thing."

"So you've been stalking me?"

The raichu squinted his eyes and slowly leaned forward. It appeared as though he was studying Shersa's forehead with extreme interest.

"You have a cool scar on your head," He pointed out, "Where'd you get it?"

Shersa grazed her claws through her fur where the raichu had been staring at. She felt the recess where her injury had been healing for as long as she could remember. It was a small circular crater that was hidden underneath her fluffy white fur, and she wasn't sure how he had managed to see it.

"I thought it was a birthmark for a long time until I realized no one had a birthmark with this nasty scaring. So… I don't really know."

"It isn't good to go on forgetting things, Shersa."

The zangoose's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't sure why, but hearing someone say her name that she never spoken to before gave her a sinking feeling.

"How… do you know my name?" She asked with shaking arms.

"Well, I heard a lot about you Shersa. Carpenter's apprentice, delivery girl, and all that good stuff." He replied with a beaming smile that she wasn't sure if he was faking or not.

"I'm not a… who are you? Shouldn't you tell me who you are if you know so much about me?"

"I suppose I should," the raichu climbed down from his post, "the name's Zeta."

"That's an interesting name."

"Well, I _am_ interesting after all. Look what I can do with my ears!" With that said, Zeta's ears sparked and vibrated with electricity, and then Shersa saw a small spark bouncing between the tips of his ears back and forth.

"Isn't it cool! I spent weeks perfecting this!" The raichu exclaimed while smiling gleefully at his party trick.

Shersa giggled. "Yeah, that is pretty cute." She turned to the road and waved her paw to the raichu. "Let's get going before it's get dark. The ruins are a long walk from here."

Zeta let his sparking stop and followed her into the street, "So, Jalce was too busy to do this himself?"

"Um, no. It was just an awkward situation, and I'm always up for going out for walks this time of day."

"Right right right… delivery girl and all"

"What?," Shersa gave him a sharp look. "No, _student_."

"Call yourself whatever you want lady," Zeta replied, unfazed by her expression. "I'm just here to finish the job. You're the one who was suppose to bring the staff to the post office."

"The letter said the ruins." She replied, now irritated with the raichu's attitude.

"I'm not the best teacher of literature," He admitted.

"And you are just as good at socializing."

"What do you mean?"

Shersa stopped in her tracks and turned to face Zeta directly,"Have you ever considered first impressions?"

Zeta stared into her eyes, his mouth slightly agape."No… not really, no."

"Well- AH!"

Shersa was suddenly interrupted by a someone bumping into her from behind. She winced and faced the dragon monster that intervened. "Hey!"

"Sorry ma'am, I was distracted." Said the gabite. His arms swiftly moved behind him as he bowed in a short apology. Behind him stood a hunched over rhydon that seemed unaffected by his partners actions.

"I was just talking to my friend about the weather today and lost my focus. Cloudy, isn't it?" The gabite asked, but continued to walk away while still facing towards her.

"Um, yeah, I guess." She replied, taking a quick glance at the sky before continuing towards the workshop. The gabite gave her a wave before disappearing into the road with the rhydon behind him.

Zeta looked up as well, "What a strange question."

Shersa and Zeta made it to the shop and retrieved the staff. Jalce told her to be cautious around the ruins before wishing her luck and returning to his work. With Zeta beside her they reached the northern gate of the city and watched the barrier close behind them as they set off to the ominous ruins ahead.

"Those foreigners were weird." She remarked, holstering the staff on her backpack.

"And you called me prejudice." Zeta said with a tinge of sarcasm.

"That's not what I-... It was just weird. I don't think I have ever seen a dragon around these parts before." She stated, now thinking about the familiar faces she has seen around town before realizing another fact. "Come to think of it, I've never seen you around before."

"Oh, me? Yeah I travel. Here and there… everywhere… I kind of just roam since I lost my people some years ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't worry about it," He waved his tiny yet chubby paw as though he was brushing the topic aside. "As for that gabite from earlier, I _heard_ that Forrow town was raided recently."

Shersa's ears perked up to the word. "Raided?!" She cried. "Forrow town? That's not too far from here."

Zeta nodded. "Well yeah, I only heard about it this morning while I was waiting for you. Supposedly, Ome's guards are on high alert and inspecting any fugitives that come by."

"Why haven't I heard of this?"

"It only just happened this morning I believe. I also doubt your authorities would raise an alarm over something that may or may not be happening."

Shersa looked down in thought. First the stranger in the ruins and now this? Who would make the ruins their home when Ome was clearly much more welcoming? And who told this stranger about so much about Ome?

The ruins were considerable distance from where they were now, but a fog was already upon them as they got closer. The towering skyscrapers were still easily seen from their approach, but it was becoming clear to Shersa why not many come close to the ancient city.

"There isn't that much moisture in the air, how is it this bad?" She asked no one.

"No idea, but it does add an air of mystery that makes traveling that much more fun!"

"I'm just delivering a package, not adventuring."

"Ah-ha! So you are a delivery girl!" Zeta yelled.

"No! I'm just… shut up. Why are you doing all this anyway? I don't have to go the ruins if you can just take it to him."

"Oh, scared are we?"

"No, just… curious."

"Let's just say it's vital that you hand it over yourself, it's hard to explain."

The two of them walked in silence for another mile before the fog had gotten even thicker. Zeta tensed up upon realizing he could barely see the road directly ahead of him. Shersa started to slow down and check her clouded surroundings.

"Was it this bad when you meet your friend?" She questioned.

"Not at all. I wasn't even expecting it to be this bad tonight."

Shersa stopped walking and swung her bag over her shoulder and unto the ground. Zeta looked over her in curiosity as she dug through the contents for something. Then, her expression changed into confusion.

"Umm, what are you doing?" Zeta asked, nudging the bag with his foot.

"I was looking for a Fire stone to help light the way but… the letter is gone." She explained before getting back up and putting the backpack back on. "I could of sworn I had it."

"Whatever, it wasn't the most comprehensible thing ever. I should know, I taught him." Zeta said before they continue to walk into the fog.

"How did you two meet anyway?"

"Um, it's hard to explain without sounding bad."

"What do you mean?" Shersa asked.

"I mean, he's really kind at heart but he's also really jumpy. Stresses out a lot." Zeta explained. There was a brief silent pause before he looked down muttering "That was insensitive," under his breath.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it."

"I guess I shouldn't expect much from a hermit in the ruins." Shersa muttered. "Still though, I feel strange walking up to the ruins like it's someone's house."

Suddenly, Zeta stopped in his tracks and Shersa noticed before doing the same. "What?," she motioned ahead of them "It's only a few more stride away."

"Look."

She followed his gaze into the fog and could barely make out a shape that just slightly out of view. It looked very familiar to her.

"Is that him?" She asked while reaching for the staff.

"Definitely not." Zeta stated.

They heard footsteps behind them, and when they turned they saw another shadow in the fog approaching slowly. Shersa looked back and forth between the new arrivals and was on the verge of panicking.

"We should run." She whispered, now clearly seeing the gravity of the situation. "This is must be a raider ambush."

Zeta shook his head. "If this was an ambush we would be on the ground already. These guys want information, not valuables."

As if on cue on his words, the strangers came into view and revealed themselves. The gabite from before was now standing between them and the way they came, and the rhydon that accompanied him was in the way of the ruins.

"I don't think I properly introduced myself back at the village. My name is Res, and the two of you are going to tell me all about the lucario in the ruins." The gabite demanded.

Shersa reeled back and stepped back a bit just enough to be as far away as possible from the two intimidating monsters. "Lucario? What is he talking about?"

Zeta's tail curled up around him in a defensive manner. "Did I fail to mention that part? Sorry, you're delivering for a lucario with a broken leg." He replied, acting as though they weren't in a dire situation.

"What are you talking about?! Lucario's don't exist anymore!"

"And this is why I didn't mention it earlier."

Res' tail slammed the ground beneath him with such force the gravel shot up into the air, "Enough," he yelled, "my friend and I were going to wait until you met him but this fog is doing anyone any favors. So you're just going to tell me what you know and then we will all forget this ever happened."

Zeta darted his eyes between the silent rhydon and the gabite before slightly tilting up to Shersa. "Ever fought before, delivery girl?"

"Are you crazy, we can't fend these two off! Just tell them and let's leave. This staff isn't worth our lives." She pleaded.

"Shersa, I've dealt with raiders before, they will kill us either way." He exclaimed.

Res shook his head, clicking his tongue in feigned disappointment. "That's hurtful."

"I did say you were prejudice." She said in a matter in fact tone.

"Is now the time!?" Zeta cried out.

The rhydon growled, clearly running low in patience as his fierce gaze drilled holes in Shersa's head. Res took a step forward, Zeta's cheeks crackled with electricity, and Shersa was tempted to use the staff as a weapon if it came to it.

"I'll give you one more chance, you fat rat." Res ordered.

Zeta scoffed, "Are you blind? I'm a mouse."

Res bared his fangs with a fierce growl. "Tredge! Break the zangoose's spine!"

On command, the rhydon named Tredge charged towards the two with a mighty roar and aimed his drill like horn forward. The rhydon was quickly approaching Shersa with amazing speed all the while kicking up dirt behind his feet.

Shersa could barely react, and only tried to swerve to the side in a desperate attempt to doge the attack. Before Tredge reached her, Zeta had jumped over her and whipped the rhydon's head to the side with his tail. The small attack somehow held enough force to throw him off balance and straight into the ground.

"Thanks." Shersa said, only just now realizing how her heart skipped a beat from the sudden event.

Zeta landed and faced Res, "We don't know anything about a Lucario! So fuck off!" He cried out.

Res looked upon his fallen partner then at the raichu. "Don't play dumb, rat. It's no secret a lucario has been seen in this region causing trouble. We, tracked it's horrid scent to Ome town and what do we happen to find?"

The gabite pulled out a familiar piece of parchment from behind its back and waved in the air for both of them to see. "This letter with that jackal's odor all over it."

Zeta was about to make a sharp rebuttal, but Shersa put her paw in front of him. She took in a deep breath. "Alright, but what would a delivery girl have to offer to you?"

Res seethed, "What are you talking about?! You clearly have contact with this lucario and we demand you tell us everything."

Shersa shook her head and tried her best to remain calm. "I'm just a carpenter running an errand. I take this staff, I hand it over to the customer, take my payment, and go home. I know I may seem like the perfect host for a surprise hunting party for a lucario, but if you harm me or my friend here, my associates will immediately know of our absence and blow whatever scheme you're running."

Zeta's eyes widen in shock from the zangoose's composure and argument. He looked at Res to him know visibily thinking over the situation with one paw on his chin. The raichu smiled, "Yeah, and you want go another round you'll have to answer to the rest of my _power!"_ Zeta proclaimed before slapping the edge of his belly as a weird show of force to the dragon.

The gabite growled in frustration. "You might be right, girl…"

Shersa and Zeta nodded in agreement.

"But I'm not coming back empty handed."

They immediately shook their heads in disagreement.

"Tredge, knock them out."

The zangoose and the raichu spun around to the now upright and towering ground beast before them. Above the rhydon's head was a huge chunk of earth it had lifted from the ground it had previously crashed into.

"Anymore bright ideas?" Shersa whimpered, now having lost her earlier stoic attitude.

"DOWN!"

Before Shersa could react, Zeta grabbed the back of her head and they both hit the ground on all fours. There came a whistling sound and suddenly the world above them glowed a brilliantly bright light. With the explosion, came the cry of pain from Tredge and the noise of shattered rock. Shersa only blinked, but in the next instant the rhydon was now completely knocked out and on his back, eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Shersa turned slowly to Zeta lying next to her, whom shrugged and pointed to the figure now standing above them.

"Sorry about the delay, wasn't expecting visitors." Came a voice from directly above the two.

Looking up, Shersa saw a bipedal black and blue monster, with odd black appendages coming from behind its large ears, and green colored eyes and black snout.

"I trust you got my letter?"


End file.
